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Talk:American Policy Institute
Not sure what the requirements for canonical information qualification will be, so just some thoughts and observations here instead of in the article itself. Quick research reveals... nothing. Every article has a different description (from secret agency to academic think tank). There are two real think tanks with the same name. Delightfully innocuous, therefore. The marketing speak for the show includes references to Three Days of the Condor. In this, the main character works for a front organization, posing as a think tank sort of place, but they are all straight up CIA analysts. Security is pretty solid. Not good enough (e.g. copiers are in the open, vs. secure rooms, not enough internal access control as to offices, etc.) but the front door guys are serious and stick to procedure, they were scanning for bugs at the end of ep. 2, and when Will got his promotion and first went to the top floor, he was required to sign for his new security level. For a think tank, they get way too much secret info. Recent ("last night") CIA intelligence does not go to private organizations. Who also cannot ask the CIA for information. SO: I think the API is either an unacknowledged (black budget) branch of a government agency, or is a quasi governmental organization closely coupled to a specific intelligence agency. The only issue I have is which one. There is so much infighting, that the multiple sources and multiple consumers makes it odd. They may be thinking that the DNI has his own budget and is building an apparatus like this. Or, probably, something more nefarious. On a personal note, I hope it becomes clearer and is not overtly dumb and impossible, or that'll ruin the show for me. Shoobe01 03:21, August 15, 2010 (UTC) Leaving the above for historical reference (it's a talk page). If I get really excited about this, I may convert it to actual article format sometime. Based especially on information within the show in e4 (going to DC): The American Policy Institute is a fictional intelligence agency (existing only within the diegesis of the show) within the US government. It is a secret agency, not revealed to the public, and its budget is not subject to the conventional review process of Congressional budget committees, as compared to the budget of the DOD. API appears to be a purely analytical agency, with neither collection or operational arms. All US federal agencies with a partial intelligence gathering mandate (to include CIA, NSA, FBI, NRO,... and I didn't copy down everything listed in e4) are compelled by an unknown agreement or authority to share all collected intelligence in raw form immediately upon request. Some intelligence is pushed to the API as part of an ongoing, regular process (at least twice a day), some at least along with requests for analysis. Foreign government intelligency agencies also share some information with API, but in a less automatic and speedy manner. There appears to be some reciprocity in sharing of raw intelligence. The API does not take actions on it's own, or appear to order actions (such as airstrikes), but provides assessments for other agencies or branches of the government to guide operational, strategic or policy decisions and activities. Consumers are largely the same as the providers of information, with the addition of (presumably) policy branches of the US government such as the White House and Department of State. The headquarters, and possibly the entire operation, is based in New York City. Someone who knows the city should say in what part of town they are located. Analytical teams... are the key high level thing. Focus on areas of the world as far as we see so far. There's a mention that someone else should be getting the former russian guy's lunch companion assessment because they are the mid-east team. Support operations... exist. Not sure what, but we saw the basement tech nerd. And the team we follow in the show has an admin, and there's a head of admin services mentioned when Will gets the promotion. Shoobe01 03:07, August 23, 2010 (UTC) My vote is that API is a straight up Intel Analysis dot-gov bureau at the DHS, NSA, CIA level, but not necessarily a part of any of those orgs. There is no longer any reason for CIA or other ABC bureaus to be located outside of the HQ installations in VA or MD or DC. But a highest level, analytical, intel aggregating organization that provides background and operational recommendations to the community makes sense in a "we must do a better job of sharing intel" environment that everyone says was needed to protect us against 21st century threats. When the Cold War (sic) was in full bloom, the legacy spy vs. spy model was West against East, the Allies against the Bloc, and even the Chinese threat could be put into the Democracy vs Communism model. As with many things when a culture or government becomes complacent, the West lost the competitive edge in global intelligence. The new threats were less nationalistic, and much more fluid than the 20th century enemies. Necessity is the mother of invention and competition, and greed breeds greed. API is a fictionsl representation of what many thinkers believe that our security and growth demands. The Rubicon storyline not only pits the young, intelligent ideology of Team E (and others) of API against the stiff, stale thinking of the legacy agencies (FBI, CIA, NSA), but also against the top-level, 4th branch shadow organization that has always plagued free societies: Money. (Greed is good is not just a cute phrase, it's what always gets us in trouble). Jefferson worried about the bankers, Wilson warned of the invisible empire, and Eisenhower coined the MIC monster. Some dinosaurs grew feathers. Allied with Will et al, are the old guys who do share both the vision of an ethical America and believe that 'smart' intelligence is better than the oxymoron we have suffered through in the last 20 years. Hadas, Robinson, and Ingram are carefully assisting WT, while trying to stay alive. Money talks. API is not the American Literary Historical Society, as in Three Days of the Condor. That group was only a dozen or so folks total. API is a full tilt bureau. However, it is interesting that the mystery novel in 3DOTC was from the Middle East. Farnham - I think we're all bozos on this bus! 16:15, October 16, 2010 (UTC)